It's good to hear they've taken account into accessibility issues with the "chiclets" and how they got around addressing that issue.

Thank you very much for this nice surprise interview - it's informed us of a bit more about Windows Live Messenger. e.g. the fact that there has been more features added after the beta ;)

Also, I like the fact you can turn off the status text in the contact list - i find that sometimes distracts away from the user's Diaplay Name; especially when the colour of the chiclet or display picture frame is clear enough.

Finally, it's good to see a move away from the Messenger 'branded' pawn, especially when the status is being displayed in Windows Live Mail ("for desktops"?) and hopefully on the online services too.

One thing I have noticed is that the icons on the Messenger IM control (e.g. the one used here on LiveSide) will need updating to replace the pawns with the chiclets! :P

Exciting times! (I just hope they hurry up & release the final versions of everything ASAP :D)